Friday 15: Junk Foods

Like most people, I like junk food. It's everybody's secret (or not so secret) guilty pleasure. And as I was getting prepared to write this post, I turned on the TV and what do you know is on the Food Network? Unwrapped. Gosh I love this show.

Some people think of junk food as anything with sugar. I think of junk food as anything with sugar or salt or preservatives that comes in a package that I usually regret eating too much of. I'm talking "Holy Halloween, Christmas, Easter and county fair that's a lot of junk food!"

So, without further adieu, a list of 15 of my favorite junk foods!

1. Oreos. Oh, Oreos.
2. Popcorn! 
3. Milk Duds *just had some last night at a movie!
4. Elephant ears *I must get one at the fair every summer.
5. Honey Roasted Peanuts . . .  and almonds.
6. Ice Cream! 
7. Kit Kats. Give me a break.
8. Tortilla Chips with white Mexican cheese.
9. Pizza. My favorites? Papa John's, Pizza King and our local joints Old Time Pizza and California Desert.
10. Dots. ("If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain that would be!")
11. Corn Chips. Ever had a walking taco? Best corn chip concoction ever.
12. Fudge! Chocolate, peanut butter, I love it all.
13. Popcorn chicken or popcorn shrimp. Fried, battered goodness.
14. Caramel apples. I was really craving these last month, but they're kind of good for me since they're made with a whole apple, right? 
15. Ruffles potato chips with French onion dip.

There you have it, readers. My confession to what I crave and what makes my tummy hurt after I've had too much. I feel so exposed. Why do I do this to myself?

Happy snacking!

Sharpie Mug Craft.

Until my little bun in the oven is big enough to appreciate crafts I get to do fun stuff like this with my awesome niece. She generally enjoys coloring, using markers and making fun foods and sweets while at Aunt GiGi's house.

I've been seeing this craft all over Pinterest for a while now and knew it was something I wanted to try. With a wedding anniversary approaching, I figured that it was the perfect time for Miss A to help me with a project she could give to her mommy and daddy (my sister and brother-in-law).

Here's how we made some ordinary mugs special.

We used:
• 2 Corel mugs ($3 each at local discount store)
• Sharpie Markers
• Sticker letters (used for scrapbooking)
• My oven

**Important note**

Most online tutorials suggest using oil-based Sharpies or enamel-based paints made specifically for ceramics in order for these to be dishwasher safe. Ours were made with traditional Sharpie markers, therefore they are only to be hand washed (not dishwasher safe). Consider yourselves warned. 
We started by applying some sticker letters to the mugs. And by "we" I mean "Miss A." She did a great job doing this with guidance. I liked the effect it gave the mugs once the letters were removed and also I have about 4,254 letters to use and figured what better way to use them!

It also helped create a "cleaner" look so the mug wasn't just covered in scribbles (though, that is just as adorable when you're dealing with a 4 year old's artwork).

Then I just let Miss A go crazy coloring on top of the letters and signing her name. She was fun to watch do these. She was sure to make plenty of swirls, too.

By the way:
Yes, letting a 4 year old play with permanent Sharpie markers is risky and messy and a bit crazy, but you know what? I don't care. She loved it. We were busy making memories, yo.

Plus, I have a wicked awesome stain remover product that took that blue Sharpie marker right out of my suede seat cushion, so no worries. No worries at all!

It's important, if you're going to do this using stickers, to make sure that each letter is 1) securely stuck on the mug and 2) surrounded and covered with color of some kind.

This is to ensure that when the letters are removed you can see what letter is exposed.

Once Miss A, the artist, was satisfied with her product she had a huge smile on her face! I didn't mess with any of the artwork, but before putting them in the oven I did add "2013" under each handle for keepsake purposes. 

Next, we popped those babies into the oven to set the ink! Most online tutorials suggested putting these in at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, so that's what we did.

Miss A was very proud of them and had fun giving them to Mommy and Daddy! This was a fun craft to do with her.

I'm hoping to find time soon to do this again on my own. I've found a few ideas online for "adult" versions of these and I think they'd be great fun to do by myself! These are some of my favorite ideas that I've found.

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Has anyone else done this craft? Did you use normal Sharpie markers or did you buy the special oil-based markers? I'd be interested to know how yours turned out!

Happy Crafting!

Friday 15: Fall Favorites

I've mentioned a few times how much I love fall. Today seems like the perfect time to list 15 of my favorite things about it.

1. Our wedding anniversary!
2. Wearing hoodies (even at 7 mo. pregnant I can still sport a hoodie!)
3. Drinking cider
4. Having the house windows open (until it gets too cold)
5. Harvest in the fields
6. A trip to the pumpkin patch - our annual tradition
7. Wearing boots
8. Eating turkey turkey turkey
9. Scarves, I can finally wear all my colorful scarves!
10. Trick or Treat candy - it doesn't last long in our house, though
11. Football season - Bear Down!
12. Dying my hair darker
13. Changing color of leaves
14. It's not hot - I do not like hot (a/k/a Summer)
15. Decorating our porch with corn stalks!

There are more things, but it is Friday 15 after all.

What are some things YOU would add to the list? Comment below . . .

Happy Fall!

DIY Mug Lights.

It's Holiday craft bazaar season. In a couple weeks I'll be headed to my first one of the season. One thing I find myself doing at these bazaars is saying "I could totally make that" or "that would be simple to recreate" and then I don't buy it. But I let time pass and I never make said craft. It's a funny thing.

Another thing I enjoy doing is going to friends' houses and appreciating how they've made their homes unique to their personalities. You all remember my friend Tracy's hair dryer & curling iron storage solution made from PVC pipe that her dad created - man, did THAT became oh so popular! Well, now it's time to showcase my friend Sarah's husband's handy work.

What would YOU do if you had boring stock can lights in your kitchen? Live with them or buy a lighting kit and a couple of mugs and make something awesome? Sarah and her husband Aaron chose to create unique and clever lighting over their kitchen island!

I asked Sarah to brief me on she and her husband's experience making these and this is what she said, "We already had can lights, so he bought the hanging kit at Lowes. I think it was $10ish. There are other kits you can buy if you don't have exisiting can lights. I bought the mugs at Target for 25 cents on clearance. Then he drilled a hole in the bottom of the mug and put it together. That's it. Voila!"

$10?

25 cents?

Clearance?

Voila?

All music to my ears!!

I love how these look in their kitchen! You could do this yourself, but make sure you take necessary precautions before starting a project like this . . . um, you know, like turning off the power first. And, maybe hiring an electrician? I'm not good with electrical stuff, so I really don't know. But luckily Sarah has Aaron to do these sort of things for her!

Happy decorating!

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

Thanks to everyone that entered the Julep Beauty Maven giveaway! It was fun to host and I think I'd like to do a giveaway again. Especially if Julep accidentally sends me a second box again (ha!)

Last night around 11 p.m. I picked a winner! I used a random number generator from 1-40 and the #16 came up!

The 16th eligible comment was Rachelle's!

Awww thanks, Rachelle and oh, congratulations! I'll be in touch about getting your Maven box to you as soon as possible!

If you're interested in taking the Maven quiz, becoming a Julep Maven or discovering more about the Maven Beauty program, click here.

Happy Beauty-ing! (ha)

Friday 15: Ways my husband and I are different.

My friend Kelly at Old Blue Silo recently posted a list of 15 ways she and her husband differ. I typically steer clear of most things "personal" on this blog of mine, but I agree with Kelly's that it's nice to get to know the person who writes the blogs we read regularly. Plus, I just think it is a fun idea!

Mike and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary, have a baby on the way, are enjoying our new home and love laughing together. There are many ways in which we are similar and many more ways in which we are different. To be cliché (because I can), the things that make us different are why we work. I've always thought we are well-balanced.

So, anyway, I asked my hubby to make a list of how he and I are different to see what he came up with.

 

My husband loves lists (as do I, one of the ways we are the same) so coming up with 15 things wasn't hard at all for him. In fact, within about 5 minutes of my request I had an email in my inbox from him with a complete list. But I thought that I could add a few of my own, too. He can't get all the credit!

Also, I've decided to make this a whenever I feel like it regular feature on the blog and I'll be calling it "FRIDAY 15." Guess what day I'll be posting the lists? Guess!

1. He doesn't cry, like ever. I cry about every other day (I'm so sensitive). 
2. He doesn't enjoy reading, I do.
3. He enjoys hard rock music & edgy bands that wear black. I listen to christian, country, pop and indie music. 
4. He drives an automatic car. I drive a stick shift.
5. He would prefer to hire a professional to build, fix or install. I would prefer to DIM (Do It Myself).
6. He doesn't care what people think about him. I care about everything people think, feel, smell, hear, see, etc.
7. He likes tea. I love coffee.
8. He prefers our bedroom to be Antarctica cold at night with no covers. I prefer it be 72 degrees and comfy with blankets. 
9. He gets up the second his alarm sounds. I hit snooze about 4,722 times.
10. He does most the chores at home. I fail to see the purpose unless we have company coming over.
11. He grew up with an extended family of mostly males. I grew up in a family of mostly females.
12. He loves mushrooms. Mushrooms make me gag.
13. He loves to cook. I love to bake.
14. He remembers EVERYTHING. I already forgot what I had for breakfast.
15. He was born in the 70s. I was born in the 80s. 

That was fun! If you'd like to make a list of 15 ways you and your hubby (or you and your wife) are different, post on your blog and leave a comment below with a link so I can check it out!

Until next time. . .

Happy listing!